Michael Cohen, previously known as the attorney and “fixer” for former President Donald Trump, is slated to testify for several days beginning Monday in the continuing investigation into Trump’s business activities. Yet, Cohen’s reliability as a witness was questioned by CNN legal analyst Elie Honig on Friday, who highlighted Cohen’s past issues with dishonesty.
“I’ve never seen a witness who’s lied to Congress, who’s lied in court, who’s lied to the IRS, who’s lied to the Southern District of New York, who lied to his banker,” Honig explained. “The entire prosecution witness team has been lied to by Michael Cohen.”
Cohen’s testimony is set to follow that of Trump’s former White House executive assistant, Madeleine Westerhout, and a Trump Organization employee, both of whom testified yesterday about Trump’s involvement in business matters. Recently, adult film actress Stormy Daniels also took the stand, undergoing cross-examination from Trump’s legal team. His lawyers sought to undermine her allegations by highlighting inconsistencies in her previous interviews.
Cohen, who served as a principal legal and business advisor to Donald Trump for over ten years, eventually saw his relationship with Trump deteriorate, culminating in his participation in multiple investigations into Trump’s business dealings. In 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to charges including campaign finance violations, tax evasion, and lying to Congress, all linked to his work for Trump and his attempts to cover up payments to individuals such as Stormy Daniels.
CNN panelists battle over the credibility, or lack of, former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen. Can't believe this is even a question. pic.twitter.com/dTsZLWJ5Tf
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Following his guilty plea, Cohen cooperated with federal prosecutors and testified against Trump in various investigations. He has since emerged as an outspoken critic of the former president, detailing his experiences in a published book.
Trump faces 34 charges of falsifying business records related to covering up the $130,000 hush money payment his former attorney, Michael Cohen, made to Stormy Daniels. Trump has consistently denied both the charges and the alleged affair. After the trial’s third week concluded on Friday, Trump told reporters that he would “be very proud to go to jail for our Constitution,” while sharply criticizing the prosecution team.